E!'s True Hollywood Story shines spotlight on Criss Angel

Posted June 24, 2009 • 6:52 a.m.

Robin Leach

Criss Angel.

Photo: E! Entertainment

Mindfreak magician Criss Angel is on a crazy, near-impossible two-month production whirlwind for Season 5 of his hit A&E series. A large board in his dressing room at the Cirque du Soleil theater in the Luxor stares back at him round-the-clock as a constant reminder of the looming deadlines and all the amazing illusions yet to be shot.

"I'm thriving on these 18- to 19-hour days," Criss told me when I joined him to film two of the new Mindfreak segments. "For some reason, the harder I work, the more energized I get." I introduced Criss for the cameras to a lucky audience invited to the filming.

I'm sworn, obviously, to a certain amount of secrecy, but I can reveal that one illusion he pulls off standing on top of a table makes him vanish in less than a blink of the eye just inches from my face. I have no idea where he went or how he pulled off the amazing disappearance. Another illusion took one volunteer strapped in a chair, and in a split second yet again, Criss traded places and wound up strapped in the chair while the volunteer was free!

Photo: E! Entertainment

Criss Angel.

Criss told me he's planned out the improvised explosive device, or IED, minefield dice with death and is ready to execute it for the Aug. 11 premiere. After that set of explosions, he'll tackle an even more dangerous deed. He's researched the Mammoth snowfalls and will go there to escape being buried alive under snow.

We'll keep you posted on all the details as we get closer to the premiere and 100th show. Meantime, tonight is the premiere of his E! True Hollywood Story. The show features exclusive interviews with Criss, his family, magic colleagues, including Lance Burton, and good friends, including yours truly, if I don't wind up on the editing room floor!

Fans around the world have been spellbound now for years with his amazing illusions and spectacular stunts, from surviving 24 hours inside a sealed water chamber in Times Square to levitating 40 stories above the Luxor pyramid right on Las Vegas Boulevard -- the famed Strip. With candid interviews and special access to the world of Mindfreak, THS provides an inside look at his sensational skills.

Photo: Cirque du Soleil

Criss Angel's Believe at the Luxor.

You'll see how Criss went from being an unknown kid from Long Island to a death-defying magician with a rock star following. Criss caught the magic bug at age 7, and THS unearths personal photos and home movies of the illusionist performing for his family and friends. Criss talks about his early days as a Goth rock musician, his long struggle to get anyone to take his magic seriously and how he almost gave it all up after losing his father. There's a special tour of the town they grew up in, including a visit to Criss's old stomping grounds, plus for the first-time cameras go inside his Luxor penthouse home for a personally guided behind-the-scenes tour of his Believe show.

The daredevil showman made his move to the big time creating an off-Broadway show titled Mindfreak, but his mom reveals that she had to mortgage the family house to pay for it. Fortunately, the gamble paid off when Mindfreak became a runaway success and brought to life the hit TV series. Lance from the nearby Monte Carlo provides commentary as he witnesses Criss attempt his twist on two infamous stunts from the series.